Chapter 709: You Are the One Who Should Run
Chapter 709: You Are the One Who Should Run
The orb had never moved on its own before.
Yet, the Secret Casket was reacting to it.
Wooooong.
'It’s the same energy.'
It was unmistakably the same energy the Secret Casket had been absorbing until now. However, there was no way the orb brought by those bastards contained any goodwill.
"We must put it back inside."
Just as Geom Mu-geuk carefully lifted the box to return the orb to its place—the orb suddenly darted toward Cha Yi-ran.
Without a moment to deliberate, Cha Yi-ran caught it.
The thought that she shouldn't take it and the fear that it might break flashed through her mind simultaneously, but she had acted on instinct. Since she had carried this orb in her bosom all this time and intended to return it, her instincts didn't choose to avoid it.
Startled, Geom Mu-geuk moved to draw his sword, but Cha Yi-ran raised a hand, signaling that she was alright.
The orb sat upon her palm. She had only seen it inside the box before; this was her first time actually touching it. She expected a chilling sensation, but it wasn't like that. An indescribable, mystical feeling seeped into her palm. Though she didn't know it, it was the energy of the Red Essence.
Geom Mu-geuk held the box out again. But as she moved to quickly drop the orb back inside, it reacted first.
Ch-ch-ch-chak!
A strand of red energy, thin as a thread, spilled from the orb and coiled around her wrist.
"It’s alright."
For now, the energy felt friendly. It didn't seem like it intended to harm her at all. The red thread coiling around her wrist began to climb higher, winding from her wrist to her arm as if exploring her.
Cha Yi-ran circulated her internal energy and slowly drew her dagger. Geom Mu-geuk also stood ready to draw his sword at any moment, his other hand poised to snatch the orb from her palm. If anything went wrong, he intended to instantly sever the energy connecting her to the orb.
When the energy traveling up her arm passed her shoulder and attempted to coil around her neck, she gently pushed it away with her other hand. She didn't mind it coiling around her arm, but having it around her neck felt unpleasant.
At that exact moment—as if offended, the thread-like energy spilling from the orb suddenly swelled.
Swoooosh!
The energy that had been winding around her arm surged forward, coiling around her waist and thighs like a serpent. It happened in the blink of an eye. And yet, it remained connected to the orb, as if its roots had to remain there.
Even then, it seemed fine. The energy still felt friendly. The problem was that there was something inside that energy.
Whish.
Geom Mu-geuk and Cha Yi-ran both saw it. Something was swimming rapidly through that red energy.
Whirrr.
As it circled through the red energy once more, they saw it clearly this time. To their shock, it was a snake. A real snake was moving through the red energy that was coiled around her body like a serpent.
It was a tiny thing, no longer than a finger, and its color was as red as blood. The snake swam through the red energy as if it were water. As soon as the red snake appeared, the nature of the energy coiling around her body began to change. The red energy, which had been incredibly soft, surged violently once.
Creeeeeak.
It began to constrict her. Cha Yi-ran slashed at the energy with her dagger.
Slash.
But the energy wasn't cut. The blade simply passed through it as if it were smoke.
'I have to catch that snake!'
She aimed for the snake as it darted past. It was so fast that cutting it was no easy feat.
'I'll get it on the next pass!'
Swish! Slice!
The dagger accurately severed the snake as it passed through the energy coiling around the front of her waist.
Ssssss.
However, the severed snake instantly merged back together, regaining its original form to continue swimming through the red energy. Geom Mu-geuk spoke to her with a grim expression.
"It’s no use. That snake is both real and an illusion."
Geom Mu-geuk knew what this was. Knowing their opponent was the Dark Palace, he had studied and researched their techniques beforehand, and this martial art had been among them.
"That is the Flying Blood Snake."
It was the name of the snake itself, as well as the name of a secret art.
The Flying Blood Snake of the Dark Palace.
It was their unique secret art, designed to infiltrate a person's body and dominate their mind. Generally, there are two ways to control a person's mind: the Soul-Seizing Technique and the Gu Poison Art. However, the Flying Blood Snake was a secret art that combined both.
In short, it was a living secret art.
While Gu poison infiltrated the brain to control a person, the Flying Blood Snake entered the heart. Gu poison didn't work on those with Immunity to All Poisons, and if one knew what kind of Gu it was, it could be eliminated.
But the Flying Blood Snake was different. Even Immunity to All Poisons couldn't block it, and no antidote existed. Furthermore, because it wasn't merely an evil sorcery, it displayed powerful efficacy even against opponents resistant to such arts.
It was, quite literally, the secret art most effective against someone like Geom Mu-geuk.
Of course, creating a Flying Blood Snake was a task so difficult it bordered on the impossible. It was known that one could spend a lifetime of effort and still fail to create a single one. The process was grueling and required a staggering amount of wealth; even if one succeeded in creating it, keeping it alive and stored was said to be even harder.
It was a secret art that supposedly only a genius of the Dark Demonic Arts could produce. And yet, that very technique had appeared.
Cha Yi-ran didn't know exactly what the Flying Blood Snake was, but she knew one thing for certain.
"Don't come near me! It's a trap!"
There was no way they intended to kill her. She knew instinctively that this was meant to lure Geom Mu-geuk in. They must have anticipated this situation from the moment they first entrusted the orb to her.
In the meantime, the red energy coiled even tighter around her body.
"I'll end up killing you. Please, run away!"
She believed that if this mysterious energy was absorbed into her, she would kill Geom Mu-geuk. She would be consumed by madness and exert incredible internal energy. Since this was a scheme designed to deal with the Young Cult Leader, its power would be immense.
Tighten.
Her expression contorted further. The red energy pressed down so hard it felt as if her body would be crushed. Then, Geom Mu-geuk said something she never expected.
"You are the one who should run."
Cha Yi-ran couldn't understand what he meant. As Geom Mu-geuk approached her again, she remembered what Hwa Do-myeong had said to her earlier.
— You’ll be persuaded by the Young Cult Leader. Just as Ak Gun-hak was.
He knew she would join forces with the Young Cult Leader.
— This plan has all been calculated.
Yes, he had definitely said that. And they had calculated this as well.
'That the Young Cult Leader would try to save me!'
Hwa Do-myeong must have entrusted her with the orb knowing that Geom Mu-geuk would try to save her. Knowing that Geom Mu-geuk wouldn't simply absorb this orb on his own, they were forcing him to absorb it.
The words she had said to Geom Mu-geuk, half-joking and half-serious, had become reality.
'...I really was their tool.'
The grimace on her face wasn't just from the pain. The tightening pressure was reaching its limit. Her Body Protection Qi couldn't hold it back. It felt as if her entire body would burst at any moment.
Cha Yi-ran threw Geom Mu-geuk's own words back at him.
"I'll go to hell first and wait for you."
At the same time, without a moment's hesitation, she drove her dagger toward her own throat.
Swish.
She had broken her own rule of never committing suicide. In the moment she sought death, she was grateful that she was someone who didn't fear it. It was the same when she sensed death at the hands of the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader, and it was the same now. Yes, she thought, this wasn't a bad way to go.
Of course, Geom Mu-geuk wasn't about to let that happen.
The dagger stopped just before her throat. Geom Mu-geuk had halted her blade using Telekinesis.
"...Let me die for you."
Naturally, it was a plea that didn't work on him.
"Have you forgotten? What would happen if you did? 'Hey, you're supposed to be the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, and you couldn't even save one woman who liked you? What the hell were you doing? Look at this, you half-wit.'"
Geom Mu-geuk stared into her eyes as he spoke.
"Trust me."
The moment he finished speaking, Geom Mu-geuk reached out and grabbed the red orb held in her hand. Immediately, the red energy emanating from the orb vibrated even more violently, constricting her.
Geom Mu-geuk pulled the orb into his chest. To Cha Yi-ran, it looked as if he were bringing the orb to his heart. It looked like he was choosing to sacrifice himself, and she cried out in desperation.
"No! Please... no."
But the orb didn't touch his heart; it touched the Secret Casket tucked in his robes.
At that exact moment—the orb, which had extended its energy so far, vibrated powerfully once.
Sssssssss.
The energy enveloping Cha Yi-ran unraveled and began to flow back into the orb. The orb started reclaiming all the energy it had put out. The red snake was pulled back along with it.
The Secret Casket in his robes vibrated wildly and rose into the air. Geom Mu-geuk's body rose with it. As always, the Secret Casket began to melt the orb's energy. The energy, which had been fluctuating outside the orb, was refined and melted down until not a drop remained.
Then, the energy flowing back out of the Secret Casket began to permeate Geom Mu-geuk's body. He didn't avoid it; he accepted it. The energy that had passed through the Secret Casket was completely absorbed into Geom Mu-geuk's body. The Flying Blood Snake, which had been dissolved in the energy, merged back into its serpent form and was absorbed into him as well.
Once all the energy was absorbed, he felt the orb pop out of the Secret Casket. Geom Mu-geuk realized it then. They had used the Red Essence to plant the Flying Blood Snake inside him.
Presumably, once they controlled his mind, they would use whatever means necessary to reclaim all the energy within his body. There was no way they would give up this energy. Regardless, thanks to this, Geom Mu-geuk had succeeded in obtaining the energy of the Red Essence as well.
The only problem was the Flying Blood Snake now inside him!
The energies already within his body woke up all at once and began to run wild. He could tell it was a rejection response to the newly entered Flying Blood Snake. Now, the Flying Blood Snake was among the five strands of energy circulating through his blood vessels. Like a living creature, the Flying Blood Snake watched for any opportunity to burrow into Geom Mu-geuk's heart.
Geom Mu-geuk focused on circulating his internal energy, struggling to block it.
Cha Yi-ran had suffered immense pain that should have knocked her unconscious, but she remained awake. She painfully pushed herself up to help Geom Mu-geuk, but then she froze.
"Young Cult Leader!"
She could feel it. Geom Mu-geuk was currently fighting that red snake inside his body. This was not a situation where an outsider could recklessly interfere.
"You have to win!"
It was then.
Tap.
Someone suppressed her Demonic Acupoints from behind. Then, a voice whispered in her ear.
"The Young Cult Leader can never win."
The man who had appeared behind her like a ghost was none other than Hwa Do-myeong. Having just been released from the constricting energy and being focused entirely on Geom Mu-geuk, she hadn't been able to block Hwa Do-myeong's surprise attack.
"The Young Cult Leader really does know how to absorb energy."
He wore an expression as if he couldn't believe it even after seeing it with his own eyes. Hwa Do-myeong's gaze turned back to Cha Yi-ran.
"You've worked hard, friend."
Cha Yi-ran glared at him in silence. Hwa Do-myeong opened his fan and hid his face behind it as if he were frightened. His voice drifted from behind the fan.
"Because of the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art, there was no way to plant the Flying Blood Snake in the Young Cult Leader's body through normal means. So, we decided to throw out a massive bait."
That bait was Cha Yi-ran, and it was also the orb containing the Red Essence.
"No matter how great the Young Cult Leader is, he cannot block the Flying Blood Snake."
Hwa Do-myeong peeked out from behind his fan. The look in his eyes as he watched her was a mixture of many emotions. On the other hand, Cha Yi-ran's emotions as she looked at him were clear: contempt and rage.
"You brought up the story about Ak Gun-hak on purpose, didn't you?"
Hwa Do-myeong was the one who had first mentioned Ak Gun-hak to her. It was to naturally draw her closer to the Young Cult Leader through the memory of Ak Gun-hak.
A satisfied smile played on Hwa Do-myeong's lips. It was a smile of affirmation.
"The Young Cult Leader isn't the type of person to just stand by and watch someone die before his eyes—especially someone who gave up their contract and everything else for him."
Cha Yi-ran was furious and despairing. But now was not the time for self-reproach.
"Hey, friend."
"I'm sorry, but you're still calling me 'friend'?"
"Of all people, shouldn't you be the last one to treat me like this?"
"Didn't I tell you earlier not to meet the Young Cult Leader?"
Cha Yi-ran suppressed the urge to spit those words back at him.
"Why couldn't you trust me? I was going to pretend to refuse the contract while killing them all. You should have given me a chance."
Hwa Do-myeong looked at her and laughed. It was a blatant sneer.
"This Young Cult Leader really is something. To think he's got you telling lies like that."
Cha Yi-ran held back the words she wanted to say. Was the reason you hovered around me all this time, fanning yourself and calling me 'friend,' all for this day?
"If things end like this, I won't be able to close my eyes even in death. Let me carry out my final contract with my own hands."
She intended to save Geom Mu-geuk somehow, even if it meant sacrificing herself. But it didn't work on Hwa Do-myeong.
"Don't look at me; look over there. This is the moment the history of the Murim changes."
Geom Mu-geuk stood with his eyes closed. His eyeballs were moving violently beneath his eyelids. It was clear he was locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Flying Blood Snake inside him.
"Once the Flying Blood Snake completely dominates the Young Cult Leader..."
Words that should never have been spoken escaped his lips.
"The Young Cult Leader will kill the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader."
Shhh.
Hwa Do-myeong spread his fan and gently fanned her.
"Your contract is a success."
Cha Yi-ran watched Geom Mu-geuk as he fought his battle with closed eyes. She remembered the last thing he had said to her.
Trust me.
'I even gave up my contract because of you; of course I have to trust you. Yes, I might give up the contract, but I won't give up on you.'
"The contract is a success?" Cha Yi-ran asked, a captivating smile spreading across her face. "Then I don't have to return the money, right?"